


Fairytale of Tal'dorei

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8980447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: The box was fairly small and light. Wrapped impeccably well (Pike’s handiwork, Percy could spot it a mile away). His nickname penned on the lid in Elven script.
  
  Percy took great care when unwrapping it, if only to see the tiny lines on Vex’s face from her own impatience.
The eve of Winter's Crest





	

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't just have a Holiday chapter of Life is No Cabaret for Christmas. I had to get this out of my system. 
> 
> Also, I've been listening to Fairytale of New York a lot and it still remains one of my favourite Christmas songs, so yeah, that kind of inspired it. 
> 
> I've cried today, and laughed, and stressed myself out for no reason, and had hot chocolate with whipped cream. And it's almost technically Christmas Eve. so this was really nice to get out of my system.
> 
> I'm [queenmoggy](http://queenmoggy.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to swing by.

“Percy.”

The pencil almost broke against the floor as Percy recovered from his startle. His hand over his heart felt the beat settle, but he smiled as he saw Vex leaning against his workshop doorframe. 

Her armour had long-since been stripped and replaced with a dress that used to belong to his older sister. Cassandra had been generous with the artifacts she had clung to over the years, especially when thanking Vox Machina for saving all of Tal’dorei. 

Percy’s chest felt tight for a second before he rested his hands on the desk and swept some hair out of his face. 

“Vex’ahlia. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Percy asked, casually leaning down to pick up the pencil from the floor. When he straightened up, Vex was holding a small box in her hands. 

“I wanted to give you this.” Vex said, placing the box on the desk between them. 

“Even though it’s not Winter’s Crest yet?”

“Just open it.  _ Please? _ ”

Percy looked up at her, a small amused smile on his face. She nodded to the box, a matching smile on her lips. 

“Go on then.” Vex urged, but she made it sound like a challenge. 

The box was fairly small and light. Wrapped impeccably well (Pike’s handiwork, Percy could spot it a mile away). His nickname penned on the lid in Elven script. 

Percy took great care when unwrapping it, if only to see the tiny lines on Vex’s face from her own impatience. He held the box in his hand and contemplated it for a moment. He lifted the lid and looked down at the notebook. 

It’s cover was a deep, dark red and felt rough under his touch. Two words were engraved into the cover and filled in with gold. He traced the Celestial words, speechless. 

_ To Goodness _

Percy looked up at Vex, wordless and with no breath in his lungs. 

“You have no idea how hard it is to find someone to turn Dragon scale into a hardback.” Vex said, her smile sly and proud. 

“I knew it looked familiar.” Percy quipped, running his hand over the scale once more.

_ Thordak _ .

The name still carried the same weight it did the night it landed in Emon. It still carried the nightmares in his found family’s mind. It still threw a dark blanket over a large portion of the countryside.

“Well, at least that bastard was good for something in the end.” Vex said, though Percy heard the darkness in her voice. He knew that she still had scars from that fight. That she still carried the rage in her heart for her mother. 

He knew her too well. 

“I have something for you as well.” 

Vex’s head twitched to the side with intrigue. The chair scraped against the stone floor as Percy began to rummage through a chest. 

His shoulders tensed as he pulled out the small box. He drew in a deep breath and turned. 

They knew each other too well to betray each other with false smiles and disguised nerves. 

“I recently came across a few artifacts that my parents had within the Castle.” Percy said, standing in front of Vex and awkwardly holding the box between them. “This has survived centuries with the de Rolo family. It has survived plagues and sieges and prosperity and famine. It has survived great rulers and tyrants. It has survived everything up until this day and it will survive centuries more with you.”

Vex gently took the box and prised apart the two halves. 

Percy smiled as Vex’s eyes widened. 

She pulled out the chain and let the pendants hang. 

One was a small disk of White Stone with the de Rolo crest cut into it. The second was a chunk of refined White Stone that had been carved into the form of a bear 

“The- ah- The bear was my handiwork.” Percy admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and breaking eye contact. 

Vex’s fingers were gentle as she held the two pendants in her palm, her thumb taking in every bump and smooth plane. 

“ _ I love it Percival. _ ” Vex breathed. She reached forwards and hooked Percy closer, resting their foreheads together. His arms settled heavily around her waist and she leaned into his chest. 

“ _ I’m glad _ .” Percy said, only for her to hear. 

A grandfather clock tolled and chimed the hour. The church in the town below rang its bell. 

“Happy Winter’s Crest, Lord Percival.” Vex said. She ran her fingers over the chain. The pendants rested against Percy’s back.

“Happy Winter’s Crest, Lady Vex’ahlia.” Percy said. He leaned back and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. 

Something caught his eye and he pointed to the ceiling above them. Vex’s eyes followed and she laughed, leaning against Percy’s shoulder. They both shook with the weight of their laughter, huddled against each other in the doorway of the workshop.

“I don’t know how Scanlan could have set that up.” Vex said, recovering her control and leaning back to look Percy in the eye.

“It’s grown out of the stone. Keyleth’s work if anyone.” Percy said. 

“Still, tradition is tradition.” Vex said, holding Percy’s face in her hands. 

It was less that she pulled him into the kiss, and more like he willingly followed her. It was  _ familiar _ after all this time, and just as exhilarating as their first kiss in the snowy forest. Just as electrifying as a weapon in their hands. Just as heart racing as a battle. 

In another room, Keyleth snored softly in her sleep as Vax wound himself around her, their cover kicked somewhere onto the floor and their presents hidden until the next morning. 

Somewhere in the Castle, a bear snuffled in his sleep and crept closer to the fire, his belly full and his dreams full of a woman with blue feathers in her hair and a kind voice. 

On the floor above, Scanlan sat writing a letter to a woman he once scorned and a letter to his daughter to slip into her bag for her to find on her next adventure, wherever she went. 

The town below, Grog and Pike sat together in a tavern because Grog knew there was never a bad time to get drunk and because Pike didn’t want him to get drunk alone. 

In Emon, four figures toasted to fallen friends in a rebuilt tower and to surviving another year, despite every odd being against them.

In Vasselheim, two figures sat in companionable silence as the city around them celebrated and the Slayers around them either swapped stories or grew too drunk to care what today was. 

In Syngorn, a young girl opened the hidden package with a letter signed by her role models and clutched the toy bear and toy raven to her chest by the light of a candle. 

In Whitestone, snow began to gently fall and land on the already built-up blanket that swaddled the city and lulled it towards a gentle sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, folks <3


End file.
